MPs clash over whether parliament is broke

Two parliamentarians from either side of the house clashed after giving two different accounts that still leaves a million-dollar question unanswered. Is Parliament really broke?

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Atwima Mponua, Isaac Asiamah who is also a ranking member for the Youth and Sports committee said his committee is unable to verify the work of the executive as part of its oversight role.

The constant excuse offered by the executive was that funding is not available, he claimed. He wondered when funding will ever be available. This drives his position that as a matter of fact, parliament is broke. He resurrects this debate after stating so in parliament earlier this month. He was asked by the Speaker to rephrase ‘broke’ to ‘challenges’.

Member of Parliament for Berekum East, Dr Kwabena Twum Nuamah corroborates this story by revealing his embarrassment after MPs could not get copies of a bill because parliament lacked stationery. ‘I was alarmed’, he said.

But the deputy Minister for Finance and Economic Planning George Kweku Ricketts has a different story because his committee was working well without any financial constraint. He could not see how this should not be the case for the whole of parliament’s many committees.

As far as he was concerned parliament was not broke. But he would wait till he gets to the office to really confirm this by Tuesday. He has not been to the office yet since he returned from working on government’s Eurobond floatation last week.

He said the financial health of parliament is not as bad as his colleague MPs were making it out to be. He suggested that the fact that MPs receive their salaries without news showed that parliament was not broke.